US lobbyist Roger Stone, a longtime friend and ally of Donald Trump, has been condemned for accepting $50,000 a month to “rebuild” relations between Washington and Myanmar’s military-backed government.
Myanmar’s leaders have been internationally isolated since seizing power in a coup in 2021, and have repeatedly been accused of atrocities that may amount to war crimes. Activists say the military rulers, which recently held widely condemned “sham” elections, are now trying to reassert themselves abroad.
According to documents filed under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act, Stone is described as providing “public affairs services” to Myanmar’s ministry of information.
These services are directed at “rebuilding relations between the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and the United States, with a focus on trade, natural resources, and humanitarian relief,” the filings say.
Stone is listed as a consultant for the firm the DCI Group.
Stone, 73, is a longtime political strategist and Trump confidante. In 2019 he was convicted of obstructing a congressional investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election. He was sentenced to 40 months, but never went to jail. He was granted clemency by Trump in 2020.
Justice for Myanmar, a civil society group, accused DCI Group and Stone of profiting “from a heavily sanctioned junta that is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity with total impunity”.
DCI Group and Roger Stone were both contacted for comment.
The US has imposed various sanctions against individuals and businesses linked to Myanmar’s military over recent years. These were announced both in response to the military’s alleged genocide against the Rohingya Muslim minority, which is now before the International Court of Justice, and in response to the 2021 military coup.
The coup, which ousted the government of former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, plunged the country into economic turmoil and a spiralling civil war. The military has been accused by UN experts and rights groups of repeated atrocities against civilians as it tries to suppress opposition movements.
The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, a UN entity established by the UN Human Rights Council, warned in 2024 of “substantial evidence” that war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed by the Myanmar military after the coup.
The military has previously defended its operations, saying they are targeted at terrorists intent on destabilising the country.
Myanmar’s military rulers held staggered elections earlier this year, touting these as a return to normalcy. However the vote was widely condemned as a one-sided sham. Min Aung Hlaing, the military general who led the 2021 coup was appointed president last month.
Conflict has continued to rage across Myanmar in the months since. In March, more than 450 people were killed in air and drone strikes, the highest monthly death toll since the resistance to the 2021 coup began, according to Acled, which monitors conflicts globally.
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